Inspired by rival FGCU, Mercer seniors have shining NCAA moment

Mercer Bears head coach Bob Hoffman reacts to call against the Duke Blue Devils in the first half of a men's college basketball game during the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at PNC Arena.(Photo: Rob Kinnan, USA TODAY Sports)

He's got seven of them on this Mercer team; five are starters and the driving force behind 14th-seeded Bears' sensational 78-71 win against No. 3 seed Duke on Friday afternoon in the NCAA tournament's Midwest Region second round.

Hoffman thought about sitting in Langston Hall's living room years ago, telling the dynamic guard they could do something special together at Mercer. He thought of Jakob Gollon, who'd battled through multiple injuries and gets to experience this as a sixth-year senior. He thought of the rest of his seniors, the group Kevin Canevari called his "brothers."

And here in a deserted hallway, nearly an hour after his Bears had pulled off a most surprising upset, Hoffman paused.

One year after the same Mercer players sat at home and watched their Atlantic Sun rival and No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast pull off a pair of upsets and become the NCAA tournament's darling, they'll get to experience all that they just missed. Last season, they fell to FGCU in the A-Sun championship game after winning the league's regular-season crowd. Gollon said "it was hard to watch" FGCU's magical Sweet 16 run.

"We were thinking that could have been us," senior guard Anthony White said. "That's something we kept in our heads throughout the whole season, starting in the summer."

It, too, was a secret Duke's players didn't learn until it was too late. And it's a simple one: Experience counts for far more than people give it credit. Four-year mid-major players can beat future lottery picks with less than a season of college ball under their belts. It's no longer a surprise; it's reality.

In Friday's game, the Bears essentially neutralized Duke's two biggest weapons – Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood, who combined to shoot 6-for-24 and turn the ball over seven times – while dominating in the paint and responding well to Duke's big shots. Though Mercer typically attempts more threes, and Hall, the point guard, usually scores more, Hoffman said his team adapted to Duke's emphasis on shutting down Hall and their perimeter attack. Mercer scored 26 points in the paint. The Bears also only turned the ball over eight times in the game.

"They were pressuring up so much we had to get into the lane and get some easy baskets," he said. "We were fortunate enough to finish a few."

BEST NCAA CINDERELLAS OF ALL TIME

The day after two 5 seeds and a 6 seed were knocked out, No. 14 Mercer followed up those performances with a convincing 78-71 victory over No. 3 Duke right in its neck of the woods. Last year, it was Wichita State, La Salle and Florida Gulf Coast with the spine-tingling upset victories. To honor these darlings, USA TODAY Sports highlights the best Cinderellas of all-time. (Photo: Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports)

Florida Gulf Coast's 78-68 upset over No. 2 Georgetown sent shockwaves throughout the college basketball world a night after Harvard did the unthinkable by knocking off New Mexico. (Photo: Rob Carr, Getty Images)

Shaka Smart's 2011 VCU Rams shocked the NCAA world in their journey to the Final Four. In a matchup of mid-major schools, Butler got past the Rams to advance to the national title game. (Photo: Tony Gutierrez, AP)

George Mason's 2006 Final Four team had arguably one of the toughest roads through the tournament. The Patriots defeated No. 6 Michigan State, No. 3 North Carolina, No. 7 Wichita State and No. 1 UConn before losing to eventual champion, No. 3 Florida. (Photo: H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY Sports)

Loyola Marymount's 1990 Elite Eight team overcame the death of teammate Hank Gathers in the WCC tournament, going on to defeat New Mexico State, defending national champion Michigan and Alabama before losing to UNLV. (Photo: Bob Galbraith, AP)

Kansas' 1988 national championship squad was able to avenge three regular-season losses to Duke, Oklahoma and Kansas State in the tournament to win for the second time in school history. (Photo: Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports)

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Down five points with 4:52 to go, Mercer mounted an 11-0 run to grab the game's momentum and all but secure its outcome. The two highlights: White draining the game-tying three, and Hall finding a darting Daniel Coursey with a beautiful pass for a lay-in and-one, which pushed the Bears' lead to five points.

"Lang was just able to find me," Coursey said. "We run it all the time in games. … Our conference teams were starting to take it away, they knew we were getting easy buckets. Duke, they underestimated it a little bit."

After Coursey's basket, 67 seconds remained on the scoreboard. The crowd roared, the finish line in sight.

"It was sort of the moment," Coursey said.

Surely a One Shining Moment.

In the moments that followed the final buzzer, players embraced. Senior guard Kevin Canevari danced, as he always does after big wins. And the Mercer fans cheered, louder than they had all afternoon, if that's even possible.

They'd come all the way from Macon, Ga., to cheer on their underdogs. They left PNC Arena as the first fans of the nation's newest Cinderella.

They weren't alone, either. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and Louisville's Rick Pitino both lauded Mercer from their NCAA tournament sites, with Pitino touting the Bears as a potential Final Four threat.

Even Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, on the wrong end of an enormous round-of-64 upset for the second time in three years, gave the Bears their due.

He stepped into the jubilant locker room after the game, and his distinctive voice rang out as he told the Mercer players, "if we (had to) get beaten, I'm glad we got beaten by a hell of a basketball team. Good luck to you."

After a moment of stunned silence, a star-struck Coursey could only mutter, "Oh … my … God."

Coursey said he expects the magnitude of the upset – and of the coach and program Mercer defeated – to sink in later. For now, he and his teammates will celebrate. Tomorrow, they'll prepare for No. 11 seed Tennessee, which beat No. 6 UMass later Friday. Last season, the Bears beat the Vols, 75-67, in the NIT.

"I imagine we'll be favored," reserve Darious Moten said, laughing.​

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Kentucky Wildcats guard Aaron Harrison (2) hits a three-point shot over Wisconsin Badgers guard Josh Gasser (21) in the second half during the semifinals of the Final Four in the 2014 NCAA Mens Division I Championship tournament at AT&T Stadium. (Photo: Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports)

Connecticut Huskies guard/forward Niels Giffey (5) dunks the all during the second half against the Florida Gators during the semifinals of the Final Four in the 2014 NCAA Mens Division I Championship tournament at AT&T Stadium. (Photo: Pool Photo, USA TODAY Sports)

Connecticut Huskies Phillip Nolan (0) holds onto the ball against Villanova Wildcats in the second half of a men's college basketball game during the third round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at First Niagara Center. (Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig, USA TODAY Sports)

Syracuse Orange guard Tyler Ennis (11) misses a shot late as Dayton Flyers forward Devin Oliver (5) defends in the second half of a men's college basketball game during the third round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at First Niagara Center. (Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig, USA TODAY Sports)

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks forward Jacob Parker (34) shoots against the VCU Rams during a men's college basketball game during the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. (Photo: Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports)

Duke Blue Devils forward Jabari Parker (1) drives to the basket against Mercer Bears forward Bud Thomas (5) and forward Jakob Gollon (20) in the first half of a men's college basketball game during the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at PNC Arena. (Photo: Rob Kinnan, USA TODAY Sports)

Oklahoma Sooners guard Frank Booker (1) passes against North Dakota State Bison guard Kory Brown (22) in the second half of a men's college basketball game during the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at Veterans Memorial Arena. (Photo: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)

Cincinnati Bearcats guard Ge'Lawn Guyn (14) and Harvard Crimson guard Siyani Chambers (1) fight for the ball in the second half of a men's college basketball game during the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at Veterans Memorial Arena. (Photo: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)

Dayton Flyers forward Devin Oliver (5) dunks against Ohio State Buckeyes in the first half of a men's college basketball game during the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at First Niagara Center. (Photo: Mark Konezny, USA TODAY Sports)